‘Free Guy’ gives box office a lift
“Free Guy,” an action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a videogame, opened better than expected over the weekend, collecting an estimated $28.4 million in ticket sales despite a marketplace challenged by COVID-19.
After a few weeks of declining audiences and underwhelming debuts amid the delta variant surge, “Free Guy” succeeded with an old-school formula: an original, star-fronted movie with good wordof-mouth playing only in theaters.
Directed by Shawn Levy, the movie was made by the Walt Disney Co.-owned 20th Century Fox, with a theatrical release contractually stipulated for the roughly $100 million production.
“Free Guy” was expected to debut around $20 million. Its surprisingly strong opening gave further proof to what some analysts have been saying throughout the year: Hybrid releases that send new movies immediately onto streaming platforms can significantly sacrifice ticket sales. The last two No. 1 movies — Warner Bros.’ “The Suicide Squad” and Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” — debuted simultaneously in theaters and homes.
The enthusiasm for “Free Guy” was enough to lead Reynolds to announce Saturday that Disney wants a sequel.
Last week’s top film, “The Suicide Squad,” slid steeply, dropping 70% in its second weekend. After its $26.2 million debut, James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad” redo pulled in just $7.8 million for Warner Bros. It’s concurrently playing on HBO Max.
Sony Pictures’ horror sequel “Don’t Breathe 2” opened with $10.6 million, in line with studio projections.
MGM and United Artists’ Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson, debuted with $8.8 million.
The Cure bassist calls it quits: The Cure bassist Simon Gallup announced on Saturday that he is leaving the band.
“With a slightly heavy heart I am no longer a member of the Cure! Good luck to them all,” Gallup wrote on Facebook. Responding to a comment asking if the departure is health-related, Gallup said, “I’m ok … just got fed up of betrayal.”
The Cure has not yet commented on Gallup’s exit, but in 2018, frontman Robert Smith told the Irish Times that if Gallup were to leave the band, “it wouldn’t be called The Cure.”
Gallup joined The Cure soon after the release of the band’s 1979 debut album “Three Imaginary Boys.”
Concerted effort: The Foo Fighters rock band is requiring people who attend their upcoming shows in Alaska to be fully vaccinated against COVID19 or receive a negative test result 48 hours before attending, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
The Grammy-winningband performs in Anchorage on Aug. 17 and 19 and in Fairbanks on Aug. 21.
Negative test results or proof of vaccination must be provided before entering — either the original card or a copy of the card with an ID to match, according to a statement Saturday from Ticketmaster. Fully vaccinated means two weeks after the final dose. Mask-wearing is not required.
The Foo Fighters performed before a vaccinated audience June 20 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It was the venue’s first show in more than 460 days.
Aug. 16 birthdays: Actor Julie Newmar is 88. Actor Bob Balaban is 76. Ballerina Suzanne Farrell is 76. Actor Lesley Ann Warren is 75. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 68. Director James Cameron is 67. Actor Angela Bassett is 63. Singer Madonna is 63. Actor Timothy Hutton is 61. Actor Steve Carell is 59. Country singer Emily Robison is 49. Actor Cam Gigandet is 39. Rapper Young Thug is 30. Singer Greyson Chance is 24.